"There was nothing in that statement that said he hoped his dog was okay," said lead prosecutor Dobie Kosub during closing arguments.

Kosub was reminding jurors of a jail phone call made by Anthony Tyrone Wills, 49, shortly after his arrest on May 2 for cruelty to a non-livestock animal by torture.

The jurors in Wills' trial agreed with the prosecutor and found Wills guilty Wednesday after less than 40 minutes of deliberation.

In the phone call, Wills was heard saying that the dog had defecated in Wills' apartment and "he gone." Kosub argued that showed Wills didn't care about his dog, Apollo.

Kosub had asked the jurors to "evaluate the evidence and find another voice ... for this defenseless, precious animal."

The animal – a white terrier weighing about 20 to 30 pounds – was stomped on and kicked by Wills, according to several neighbors who recounted to what they witnessed.

Defense attorney Jarret Noll questioned whether the stories of some of the witnesses made complete sense – or if some might have been exaggerated to make Wills seem worse.

"These people," Noll said of the full audience, which also included several local pet advocates, "have the luxury of going with their emotions. You have a higher calling" and have to decide the facts of the case.

"You may not like how he disciplines his dog, ... but it's a farcry from his discipline to torturing his dog," Noll said.

Noll argued the dog could have lived if animal control officers had sought care by a veterinarian rather than euthanizing the animal.

The defense told jurors he was "not asking with their verdict to agree with how he disciplined his dog ... (or) agree with animal cruelty." Noll wanted them to use their common sense.

Despite several comments from Noll saying the state killed Apollo, Kosub told jurors the "state stopped the dog's suffering." Animal control officers may not like having to euthanize animals, Kosub said, but it's part of their job.

Judge Barney Fudge of the 78th District Court is expected to assess Wills' punishment. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.